Improvement in car-roofs



w. c. ALLISON.

CAR-ROOF.

No.185;715. Patented Dec. 26, 1876.

' HEGRAFNIC CD-ILY- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. ALLISON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-ROOFS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 185,715, dated December26, 1876; application filed November 6, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM C. ALLISON, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Roofs for Railroad-(Jars,of which the following is a specification The object of my invention isto construct an economical, durable, and water-tight roof forrailway-cars.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section of myimproved roof for railroad-cars; Fig. 2, a transverse section on theline 1 2; and Fig. 3, a perspective View of part of the roof.

In making my improved roof, I secure the usual longitudinally-arrangedboards A to the end beams B and intermediate beams D. On the top of theboarding I place a series of plates, H H, by preference of thingalvanized iron, each plate extending entirely across the roof, andbeing bent over the usual beading a at the opposite edges of the roof,as shown in Fig. 3. Each plate has turned-up edges, the edge of oneplate being arranged at a short distance from that of the adjoiningplate, as shown in Fig. 2, and these edges projecting upward intogrooves formed in the under side ofa strip, E, of wood, which alsoextends across the roof, one strip being situated directly above eachbeam D, to which it is secured by bolts F, the latter passing throughthe central portion of the strip which intervenes between the twogrooves, and also passing through the boarding A and beams D. Thiscentral portion of the strip bears directly on the boarding, while theouter portions bearon the plates, so that on tightening the bolts boththe strip and plates will be firmly bound to the boards. The grooves inthe strips are somewhat wider than the turned-up flanges of the platesare thick, so that the said plates can expand and contract withoutdisturbing the strips. The flanged plates, combined with the strips,boards, bolts, and beams, form a perfectly secure, water-tight, anddurable covering for the roof of a car.

I do not desire to claim, broadly, the combination, in a roof, of plateshaving turned-up edges adapted to a groove in a confining-strip; but

I claim as my invention- A car-roof in which plates H, having turnedupedges, are combined with boards A, bolts F, beams D, and strips E, thelatter having two grooves for receiving the flanges of separate plates,and being constructed to bear on both plates and boards, allsubstantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM C. ALLISON. Witnesses:

HEEMANN MOESSNER, HARRY SMITH.

